Threshold



June 16, 1925.

H. C. MAISE THRESHOLD Filed July 23, 1925 DUH l I f ATTORNEY.

Ptented June 16, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT orifice..

HERMAN C. MAISE, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR '.lO` BRIGGS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, .A CORPORATION F MICHIGAN.

THRESHOLD.

Application llled July 23,

To all whom it may cof/wcm.:

Be it known that I, HERMAN C. Maisie, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Detroit, in the. county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 1n Thresholds, of which the following is a specification, reference being vhad therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to vehicle bodies and refers more particularly to thresholds for door openings therein.

An object of the invention is to provide a single member thatl forms thresholds for a plurality of door openings in the body.

Another object is to provide a strong and durable member that also serves as a combio the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawingz Figure 1 is a side elevation of a motor vehicle Aembodying iny invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional View taken 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vfragmentary perspective view of the channel member;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view corresponding to Figure 2 but showing a slightly modified form of construction; Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on line 45.--5 of kFigure 4;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Figure 4 but showing a slightly online .modified construction.

In the manufacture of vehicle bodies, it

. is usual to provide Wooden thresholds for the door openings and to provide metall panels or finish strips for the outer surfaces of the thresholds. However, with such con- 1923. Serial No. 653,231.

views, the numeral 1 designates a vehicle door openbody of the closed type having ly arranged ings 2 and 3 that are prefera :sol

adjacent to each other 1n the side panelsof the body and that preferably extend u wardly. from a sill 4 of theA usual bei? frame to the top 5. VThe doors 6 and i respectively for the openings may be any suitable construction or design and are pivotally mounted upon suitable posts or standards 8 and 9 respectively extending between the sill 4 and the top 5.

'The thresholds 10 for the door openings are preferably formed from one piece of metal that preferabl Iextends between the *postsv 8 and 9 and t at is preferably substantially channel-shaped in' form, the s aid.A

channel preferably having inner and outer walls 11 and 12 respectivel and atop 13. The outer wall 12 prefere ly enga esthe outer edge of the sill 4 and is reerably provided with an inwardly exten flange 14 that is secured to the lower' face of the sill, while the inner wall 11 is preferably parallel to the outer wall and is preferably provided with an inwardly extending flange 15 that is secured to the upper face of the sill. The upwardly projecting portion- 16 of the outer wall 10 serves as an abutment for the depending return-bent flanges 11y of the doors, whi e the rear wall 11 pref.;Y

`erably extends slightly above the forwardlyanddownwardly inclined top 13 and is preferably return-bent as shown at 18 to provide an abutment flange for engagement witli 'the inner faces of the doors. Thus,

the thresholds serve as effective weather strips for the doors. The channel-shaped member 10 is preferably'enameled so that the outer wall 12 serves as an outer panel or finish strip for the body.

In the modification illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, I have shown a construction in which the member 20 is preferably similar in form to the member 10 and is preferably provided, at spaced points throughout its length, with transversely extending depressed portions 21 that serve as stiii'ening or reinforcing means for the thresholds. To reinforce the thresholds further, I preferably provide a finish plate 22 that hasan outwardly extending portion 23 engaglng the top 24 of the member 20, and a. downwardly extending portion 25 that engages the rear wall 26 of the member 20. The outwardly extending portion 23 is prefer-` ably provided with substantially L-shaped tongues 27 that extend through openings 28 iin the top 24 of the member 20 while the Harige 29 extends inwardly from the downwardly extending portion 25 of the finish plate and rests upon the inwardly extending flange 30 of the inner wall 26 of the member 20. Suitable screws 31 preferably secure both the Iianges 29 and 30 to the sill 32. The portion 25 of the plate 22 preferably projects above the portion 23 and is prefer- 'ably return-bent as shown at 33 to provide an abutment similar to the abutment 18 for the inner faces of the doors..

In the modification illustrated in Figure 6, I have shown a construction in which the threshold member 40 is preferably provided with parallel outer an'd inner walls 41v and 42 respectively and is preferably provided with an outwardly and downwardl inclined top 43 that preferabl terminates short of thi outer wall 41 and t iat is preferably retuiirbent as shown at 44. A finish plate 45, preferably similar in form to fthe plate 22, is used to cover the n ar wall 42 and top 43 of the threshold member 40 and is preferably provided with an Ai wprdly ex tending flange 46 that is secureidl to the sill 47 in a manner similar to the angc 29.*, The portion 48 of the finish plate 45 ,is prefer-v ably return-bent sini to the portii 25 of the plate 22, but tlhe ter edge p ftlie por.- tion 49 is prcfcigab y1bent,a1'oun'd"the returnbent port-ion off" the threshold top 43 as shown at 50 and serves as an labutment for the depending fiangcs 51 of the doors 52.

lThus, in this construction the outer faces of the doors are flush with the outer wall 41 of the threshold member 40.

While it is believed that from the foregoing description, the'nature and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent, I desire to have it understood that I do not limit myself to what is herein shown and described an'd that such changes may be resorted to when desired as falivfithin the scope of what is claimed.

l/Vh'at I claim as my invention is:

1. The combination with a vehiclefbody having a sill and a door opening abovethe sill, olf a separate member secure] tu said Sill and termin(`r a threshold for said opening, and a member extending longitudinallly of and detaehably secured to certain portions of the member aforesaid andreinforcing the same.

2. The combination with a vehicle body having a sill and a door opening above the sill, of a separate inverted channel-shaped member secured to said sill and vforminr a threshold for saidA opening, said member having depressed reinforcing-portions, and a finish plate engaging the top and back of said channel-shaped member and concealing said de ressed portions.

3. T e combination with a. vehicle body havin 'a sill and a door o ening above the sill,"o a separate inverte channel-,shaped 1 iember having portions secured to different sides of said body sill'and forming a threshold for said opening, and means extending longitudinally of said threshold ymember for reinforcing said channel-shaped member.

4. The combination with a vehicle body having a, sill and a door o ening above'the sill, of a separate threshol member having portions secured to different sides of the sill, and reinforcing means for said threshold member having Vinterlocking engagement therewith.

5. The combination Withla lvehicle body having a sill and a door openingabove'the sill, of av separate inverted channel-shaped threshold member extending longitudinally .of said sill and having substantiall parallel flanges vsecured to opposite sides ofysaid sill, anda member extending longitudinally of the threshold member and forming a stop for a door.` y l 'f 6.v Theconibination. with a vehicle body havin a, sill and side anels provided with space door openings a ove the sill, of a separate threshold member extending across said spaced openings and secured to said sill.

7 The Icombination with a vehicle body, ha-ving a Sill, a side panel secured thereto, having a door opening therein adjacent to the sill, aseparate threshold member secured to the sill and extending across the door opening in the panel, said member having a Wall concealing lthe outer edges 0f the sill. v

8.. The combination with a vehicle body having a sill, a. side panel secured thereto having a, door opening therein adjacent to the si l, a separate inverted channel-shaped threshold memberextending across the door opening in the,panel, said member having pprtionssecuredlto the upper and lower faces of the sil1,and a reinforcing member secured to the member aforesaid having a, shoulder forming a stop for the door.

9. The combination with a. vehicle body, having'a Sill, u. side panel secured thereto 5 havin a door opening therein, a separate in- ,verte channel-Shaped threshold member extending across the door opening in thepanel and secured to the sill, and a reinforcing member extending longitudinally of the member aforesaid secured to the sill and having a shoulder forming a stop for the door.

In testimony whereof I niix my signature.

HERMAN C. MAISE. 

